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UNITED STATES PATENT OEFIcE.

WILLARD W. SAWYER, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO BENJAMIN B. HILL, OF SAME PLACE. I

HAND-STAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 228,121, dated May 25, 1880.

Application filed March 22, 1880. No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLARD W. SAWYER, of Springfield, Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rubber Printing-Band Stamps, which has not been patented to me nor to any other personinany foreign country with my knowledge and consent, and of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to that class of stamps which contain rubber printing-bands having printing-characters raised thereon, and which are operated to bring the desired characters into proper position to print by means of revolving'drums.

The object of my invention is to provide a stamp the rubber printing-bands of which may be operated more readily and easily, and which, having fewer parts, is less liable to get disarranged or out of working order than is the case with those now in ordinary use; and my invention consists of a case in which a single revolving shaft has its bearings, which, with its drum attached thereto, operates one of the printingbands, and upon which two other drums, or more, if desired, are arranged to revolve, carrying and operating a corresponding number of printing-bands, with a flange on each drum, a portion of which flange protrudes through the case of the stamp, by which said drums are easily turned, as will be more fully hereinafter described.

Figure I is a half side view and half vertical section of the case and handle or knob of a stamp made according to my invention, and with the printing-bands and drums in place, and with a portion of one flange broken away. Fig. II is a vertical section of the whole case at line B of Fig. I, showing one-half the case with the drums and printing-bands in place, a portion of the latter being broken away to show the drums; and Fig. III is a front view of the shaft and its drum and the drums which are arranged to revolve upon said shaft.

In the drawings, 2 represents the case of the stamp, which is cast of suitable metal, in two halves or parts, the line of division being at line B of Fig. I, and in each half or part are made the recesses a to receive the shaft 11,

and in which, when the two parts are put together, the shaft revolves.

The shaft 11 has a drum, 8, firmly secured thereto, and a drum, 7, having a flange, 6, is placed upon the shaft 11 on each side of the drum 8. 5 5

A bridge-piece or bearing, 4, is secured at the lower end of the case 2; and I prefer that the drums 7 and 8 shall have a rubber tube stretched tightly over the periphery of each, in order to increase the traction of the drums in moving the rubber bands, which are made taut in passing over the drums and the bridge or bearing 4. I

A portion of the case 2 is made sufficiently small at 5, so that the frame or case 2 may be open at thatpoint, and the roughened or toothed flange 6 of each drum 7 may project through the case on opposite sides thereof, and the drums 7 be rotated thereby.

The case at 0 may be enlarged to accommodate the drum 8 on the shaft 11, should it be desired to make the stamps somewhat small and compact, in which case the drum 8 would be larger than if the case were made longer. The top of both halves of the case, when placed 7 5 together, has a screw-thread made thereon, upon which the knob 1 is screwed when ready for use, and which mainly holds the two parts of the case together.

Rubber bands 10 are placed aroundthe drums 8o 7, which are first placed upon the shaft 11, one each side the drum 8, these bands having printing-characters raised thereon, the characters on one representing the different months of the year and those on the other the different years, and the band 9 may have the different numbers or figures raised thereon from 1 to 31, inclusive. The shaft 11 then being placed in its bearings a in one half of the case, with the bands on the drums and also around the bridge 0 or bearing 4, the two halves of the case are placed together and the knob 1 screwed on top, and a die-plate, 3, may be secured to the lower end of the case by hooks 14 engaging with one edge of the lower end of the case, and a set- 5 screw, 12, turned in against the other side, with an aperture made in the die-plate, through which protrudes the bridge 4 and printingbands, so that the printing-characters exposed on the outer face of the bridge shall be on the same plane with the printing-characters of the die, which is to be secured to the loweriside of the die-plate when a die is to be used in connection with the band.

Supposeit is desired to print May24, 1880, the flange 6 is turned, by the thumb and tingers applied outside the case, at 5, until the Word' May is brought to the lower face of thebridge 4:. The other flange 6 is turned in the same manner until thefigures 1880 are brought into the same position opposite the Word May, and the drum 8 is turned by pressing in against the ends of the shaft 11 with the thumb and fingers until the figures 243 011 the band 9 are brought into position between May and 1880, and the impression can then be made by inking the exposed figures or characters.

Any other characters or figures may be used on the bands, if desired, without changing the nature or character of the invention and it is also evident that, if it should be desired to use such a stamp for numbering purposes, any desired number of drums 7, each having a flange, 6, may be used upon and in combination with the revolving shaft 11.

I am aware that printing-bands and drums to operate them have heretofore been used in a metallic case made in two parts and held together, wholly or partially, by a knob at the top, as shown in patent to B. B. Hill, May 21, 1878, and I do not claim the same, nor any part thereof, my invention, as herein set forth, being merely an improvement in the said patented device of Hill, to increase the convenience of operation, to facilitate the construction, and to decrease the liability of derangement of parts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is The combination, in a rubber printing-band stamp, of the shaft 11, arranged to revolve in bearin gs a in the case to move a printing-band, 9, two or more drums, 7, arranged to revolve upon said shaft 11. to move printing-bands 10 passing around said drums, a flange, 6, firmly secured to each drum 7, the bridge-piece or hearing 4, and the case 2, made in two parts, with openings at the sides, through which the flanges 6 protrude, substantially as and for the purpose described.

WILLARD W. SAWYER.

Witnesses:

T. A. OURTIs, GEO. W. W. GRAY. 

